The Cure
by GreenEies
Summary: The Cure is a sequel to Rebirth. Cloud and Tifa’s daughter has grown into a strongwilled young woman who constantly challenges her parents, as all sixteen year olds do. This story is about the search for a cure to Geostigma and how Jenova still exerts h
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: The Cure is an original story based on the movie Advent Children and an unsanctioned fanfiction story called Rebirth. All characters presented in The Cure are the property of Square-Enix, except for Kako and some others that may be created in later chapters. Kako and other non-game or movie related characters are the property of GreenEies and cannot be used without my permission. The Cure cannot be used for commercial purposes for any reasons._

_Author's Note: The Cure takes place about sixteen years after the end of Rebirth. Cloud and Tifa's daughter has grown into a strong-willed young woman who constantly challenges her parents, as all sixteen year olds do. Obviously the title of this story should give the reader an idea of what the main plot will be; a cure for Geostigma. Again, with this story, I am really just along for the ride, acting as a scribe for Cloud and Tifa and their daughter, Kako. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think._

**Chapter 1 - Lessons**

She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and blew a stray strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. She shifted the sword in her right hand to get a firmer grip on it and moved into a defensive stance. Her opponent stood before her. He hadn't even broken a sweat. That really pissed her off. She growled and launched herself at him again, swinging her sword expertly at his head. He rolled under her strike and cuffed the back of her head with the butt of his sword. She cursed to herself; she should have seen that coming. She ignored the pain in her head and launched herself straight up in the air spinning around to face him, swinging her sword again as she landed in front of him. His sword met hers in a clash that sent sparks flying around them. He swept her feet with his leg and she jumped over it. But it was a distraction. As she landed she saw at the last second the blur of his sword aimed for her throat. She was not fast enough to dodge his strike and felt his blade knick her skin as he brought it to stop just before biting into her flesh.

"Shit," she swore loudly. She threw her sword across the room. It vibrated loudly where it landed, stuck into the wall opposite them.

Cloud watched his daughter spar. He seldom watched any more. She had become an expert swordswoman and the intensity of her sparring sessions made his heart stop and this time was no different. He held his breath as he watched her miss the distracting move and closed his eyes just as the sword sliced at her neck. He opened his eyes again when he heard her curse. "_Ok breathe_," he thought to himself as he struggled to regain his composure.

"God, I hate this," he mumbled under his breath. He turned to Tifa and saw her bemused expression. "This is all your fault," he said to her and he turned to walk out of the building. Tifa chuckled and ran after him. She jumped on his back and hugged his neck as he wrapped his arms around her legs, giving her a piggyback ride.

"You know, if you hadn't started to pull your punches, she would've let you continue teaching her," she whispered in his ear. She kissed his neck and jumped down off his back. She slipped her arm around his waist walked with him back to the home they shared.

Cloud looked down at his wife and smiled. He brushed her hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead gently. She was still a beauty, he thought to himself. Even after sixteen years of being together. She seemed to get more beautiful with each passing year.

"I can't teach her anything. No one can teach her anything. She knows it all," said Cloud. Of course, he knew that she still had a lot to learn, but she didn't seem to know that. "_Ahhh, the hubris of the young_," he thought to himself.

"Yes, the hubris," replied Tifa, reading his mind again. No matter how often she did that, it always made his heart skip a beat.

"Cut that out," he said sharply. Tifa looked up at him, hurt by his tone. He sighed and pulled her to him in an embrace. "I'm sorry, baby. I just . . .," his voice trailed off.

"I know, I'm sorry," she said sadly.

"It's not your fault, its mine," Cloud said softly. Tifa pulled away from his embrace and took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.

"I would not change anything about the last sixteen years. Nothing," she said sternly. Her face softened and she continued, "And don't you dare regret it either. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have Kako, and I wouldn't have the hottest husband this side of Midgar." She smiled at him.

"And I wouldn't have the foxiest wife on this side of the planet," he answered playfully. She kissed him quickly and ran up the steps into the 7th Heaven Bar with Cloud chasing after her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Silent Communication

Kako retrieved her sword from the wall and stored it back in its case. The lesson was over for the day and she needed a shower.

"You're getting better, Kako," said Reeve.

"If that were true, you wouldn't have been able to sucker me with that last move," she grumbled. She didn't like false flattery and this felt like false flattery. She took the damp towel off her neck and wiped the sweat off her face. She threw it down on the chair in disgust.

Reeve chuckled as he watched her. She was probably harder on herself than he could ever be, which is what made her a challenging student. She had refused to allow her father to continue to teach her when she realized he wasn't willing to teach her the more advanced moves.

Reeve had wandered by the school one day, looking for a job now that Turk was defunct, and offered to continue her tutelage, but he had to talk Cloud into it by promising that he would never let her get hurt. She didn't know about their deal, however. If she had, she would have gone elsewhere for her training and Cloud knew it.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. That's a move I usually reserve for my older more experienced students. You're very advanced for your age," he replied.

"Yea well, it won't happen again," she said. She turned to him and looked him in the eyes. He was always struck by her coloring; long yellow-blonde hair and deep burgundy eyes. "_What a combination_," he thought to himself. She grinned at him and punched him in the chest.

"I stink. I'm gonna take a shower and go home for some lunch," she said good-naturedly. She could never stay mad at Reeve for long.

* * *

She slammed the door of the bar open and yelled "I'm home, where's lunch? I'm starving."

"It's in the kitchen, waiting for you to make it," said Tifa, not looking up from her ledger. Kako grumbled and threw her sword case down on the bar. She walked back into the kitchen and stood in front of the open refrigerator.

"Where's Dad?" she yelled back at her mother.

"He's lying down trying to recover from that last move you made," Tifa said with a smile. She loved teasing Kako.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Kako mumbled under her breath.

"What's so funny about it?" asked her father from directly behind her. His voice made her jump and she dropped the jar of mayonnaise she had picked out of the refrigerator.

"Shit! Dad, look what you made me do," she complained.

"You better clean that up before you mother sees it," he replied with a grin on his face. "And stop swearing."

Kako grabbed a damp towel from the sink and wiped the greasy spill off the floor.

"Reeve pulled a fast one on me. I told him it won't happen again," she said, not looking up at Cloud.

Cloud smiled down at his daughter and sat on a stool by the counter to watch her clean up the mess she had just made. He was amazed at how like Tifa she was. Except for her blonde hair, she had all of Tifa's features; she was a bit taller but just as muscular and slender at the same time. She moved with a grace that belied her years and attested to the long hours she spent at the school.

Tifa and Cloud had started the school shortly after returning to Midgar with the infant Kako. It was Tifa's idea. Cloud needed something to keep him busy and out of trouble; he had become bored pretty quickly with just helping her run the bar. He now employed several tutors, Reeve being one of them. Reeve had appeared one day out of the blue, asking for work. He claimed to have left Turk but Cloud could never get the straight story out of him as to why he had left. He finally gave up and allowed Reeve to stay on as a tutor but under probation. That was five years ago and Cloud had never had occasion to regret his decision to trust his former adversary.

As far as Cloud could tell, Reeve was a quiet man who kept pretty much to himself. He was a competent tutor, even as good as Cloud with a sword. He was secretly glad that Reeve had offered to take over Kako's schooling because he didn't have the stomach to teach her what he knew she needed to know.

"And do you think that's the only trick he has up his sleeve?" he asked Kako.

She stopped mopping the floor and looked up at him with a pained expression on her face.

"No, I don't, I'm just saying he won't be able to pull that particular one on me again," she said through gritted teeth. She stood up and threw the broken mayonnaise jar in the trash.

"Mom needs to show you something," she said absentmindedly.

"Cloud, I need to show you something. Can you come up here for a sec please," Tifa called from upstairs.

Cloud cursed under his breath. "God I hate when you do that," he mumbled and walked out of the room, rubbing his arm.

Kako bit her lip and turned to apologize but he had already left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – A Change in Plans**

Reeve made his way through the city to his appointment. Midgar had made a lot of progress over the past few years, rebuilding from the devastation left in the wake of Meteor. Most of the plates had been repaired and the former slums had been cleaned out. One slum, however, had been left untouched. He walked through it now. All around him he watched as the children affected by Geostigma played with the sewer rats and picked through garbage cans, their bodies stained by the marks of their shame and their pain. He steeled himself against the pangs of guilt and revulsion he always felt when walking through this area and picked up his pace. He was late.

As he approached the meeting place he could see the man that had brought him to this part of town sitting in the shadows of an alleyway, drumming his fingers on the arm of his wheelchair. Reeve could tell his boss was impatient. He walked past him further into the shadows. He turned and faced Rufus, waiting for him to approach.

"How goes her training?" Rufus asked.

"She's doing well, better than I would have expected given that she still doesn't use all her abilities," Reeve answered. He really didn't understand why Rufus insisted in these weekly reports. There was never much to report from week to week and he always asked the same questions.

"Have you seen any new students at the school?"

Reeve knew what he was getting at. "No, he hasn't appeared, at least not that I've seen, but I can't be with her every minute of the day."

Rufus sat in thought for a few moments. He had expected that the girl would have started to use at least some of the special abilities given to her by Jenova by now. Perhaps she was holding them back due to her father's influence.

"And the mother?"

"Tifa doesn't do much sparring or teaching any more. She spends most of her time at the bar and taking care of the children," he replied.

"It's obvious that both women are suppressing their abilities, probably because of his influence. Reeve you have to get the girl to stretch herself. She must be as prepared as she can be for what's coming," said Rufus quietly.

Reeve looked up at the shrouded man sitting in the wheelchair before him. This presented a problem because he knew that Kako would resist.

"That will take some time. I have to be careful not to draw attention to myself. It's taken me five years to gain his trust and he is very much on his guard where Tifa and the girl are concerned," said Reeve.

"I think we still may have some time. Accelerate her training. Make sure she's ready." With that Rufus turned and left the alley, leaving Reeve alone with his thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – The Stranger**

Kako wandered back to the school after lunch. She had a vague idea of catching a class with Yuffie later that afternoon, but really she wanted to see if she could get a look at the new guy. She had heard about a stranger at the school and the rumor was that he was very cute but kind of mysterious. She loved a mystery.

She walked into the school and wandered the halls looking for Yuffie's class. She passed the room in which she had sparred with Reeve earlier in the day and stopped when she heard the clash of swords. She quietly opened the door and slipped inside. A small group of students lined the walls, watching the two opponents spar in the center of the floor. She smiled over at a girl she knew and leaned up against the wall with her arms crossed to watch.

She recognized one of the opponents as a student at the school. She knew his name was Sezo; he was an above average swordsman, but she had beaten him a few times. His opponent, however, was someone she had never seen before. "_So this must be the new guy,_" she thought to herself.

She watched as the stranger circled his opponent. In his sword hand he carried a type of sword she had never seen before; it had two long curved blades instead of the usual single blade. In his off hand he carried a short dagger that he held hilt forward so he could use it in a spinning backstab counter move. His movements were cat-like; his feet hardly touched the ground as he circled the room, always facing his opponent. Sezo made his move, lunging at the stranger with his blade but connected with thin air when the stranger spun away from his thrust. As he spun his opponent came around Sezo's exposed back and planted the dagger between his shoulder blades, stopping just centimeters from skin. Sezo recovered and turned to face his opponent, bringing his sword up to block an overhead swipe aimed at his throat.

Kako watched transfixed by this strange new man. He was tall and slender and wore a tight fitting black leather vest that showed the outlines of his muscular body. He looked to be about 17, perhaps older. She wasn't sure. He had long silver white hair that reached to the small of his back and swirled around his face and shouldersas he spun and lunged. His face was a study in concentration; he had pale blue eyes that flashed in anger when one of Sezo's thrusts caught him off balance. His strong muscular legs were covered by leather chaps that he kept in place with straps across his thighs.

She couldn't take her eyes off him. There was something about him that fascinated her. It was more than just good looks, she thought to herself. He was obviously a skilled swordsman and she had never seen a sword like his before. No, there was something about the way he moved, the way he carried himself, which interested her. He was very different from the other boys she knew. She glanced around the room and saw that she wasn't the only person fascinated by this stranger.

He seemed to know that she was watching him. He flashed a smile at her as he turned to dodge yet another attack. Or was it just her imagination. She felt her face flush and looked down at her feet in embarrassment. When she looked up she found that the match had ended with the stranger the victor. Sezo extended his hand in an offering of peace and congratulations. The stranger took it and shook with a firm grip and a quick nod. He turned and walked over to a chair where he had thrown his gear. The room emptied slowly of its audience, the students filing out in twos and threes chatting about the strange new man and the moves they had just witnessed. Tifa lingered, watching him with fascination. He felt her eyes on him and turned to look over at her.

"What did you think?" he asked.

"What? Oh, . . . it was . . .," she shrugged her shoulders and smiled at him. She had never felt at a loss for words before.

"That good, huh?" he said with a smile.

She pushed away from the wall and walked over to him. "Are you a student here?" she asked.

He stopped what he was doing when he heard her question and thought for a moment before answering.

"Not really. I just dropped by to see how I stacked up against some of Midgar's finest," he answered with a sly smile.

She chuckled at his arrogance. "And you think that Sezo is one of our finest?" she asked.

"Isn't he? Well that's encouraging," he said with the same sly smirk. "And who would be your finest then . . . you?"

She wasn't going to walk into that trap. She smiled and turned to walk out of the room. He rushed up behind her and pulled on her arm, turning her back to face him. His closeness excited her and she breathed in sharply as she found herself looking directly in his eyes. Up close she could see that he had a strong, angular face, but those eyes . . . they seemed to look straight through her into her soul.

She pulled her arm out of his grasp and stepped back away from him with a quizzical look on her face.

"Come on, lets play," he said softly.

She hesitated for a moment. The invitation was a tempting one but she wanted to make him work a bit harder for what he wanted. She smiled at him and shook her head.

He watched her think about his offer. She really was quite lovely, the spitting image of her mother with her large shining burgundy colored eyes, but with her father's blonde hair.

"How do you know my mother?" she asked. "_Wait, did he say that out loud?_" she asked herself. She saw his eyes flash for an instant as her question registered and quickly return to normal. There was something about his pupils . . .

"I don't know your mother," he answered quickly. He struggled to regain his composure. Her question caught him off guard. He needed to be more careful around her.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two. Kako attempted to cover the moment with an innocuous question.

"I've never seen a sword like that one before. Where did you get it?"

"It belonged to my brother," he answered simply. He turned and picked up the rest of his gear and walked out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Plots and Plans**

Yazoo walked quickly from the school to his bike and mounted it. He started the engine and sat for a moment looking back at the building. He had waited a long time, sixteen years in fact, for this moment and he almost blew it. He cursed softly under his breath, gunned the bike into a skid and roared off down the street.

Over the years since his brother had died, Yazoo and Loz had looked in on Cloud's little family and watched their daughter grow into the young woman she was today. They had suspected that she had some hidden or dormant talents given to her by Jenova but her question confirmed it. "_She has the sight!_" he thought to himself. This was a double-edge sword. If she could do that, she could probably do a lot more, but he would have to be very careful around her in the future.

He threaded his way through the streets of Midgar towards his apartment in Section 8. He had found a place that was close to the bar and the school but not so close that he would have a casual encounter with Cloud and Tifa. He had changed his appearance since that time, but didn't want to risk that Cloud might still recognize him.

His mind wandered back to Kako. She was beautiful, he had to admit. Tall and slender with a muscular frame and a balanced step, it was obvious that she had inherited both parents' physical traits. Her golden blonde hair was an interesting counter part to her deep red eyes, and her face . . . cupid bow lips and strong arched eyebrows that perfectly framed her amazing eyes. She was very well put together. "_As fitting a God_," he thought. The trick was how to get her to accept her place in the universe and fulfill her destiny. That was his job now; his and Loz's.

He parked the bike and walked into the apartment he shared with Loz. He shut the door behind him and turned to face Loz. His brother had been sitting at the computer reading up on ShinRa when Yazoo walked in. He looked up with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Did you see her?" he asked.

Yazoo smiled at him and walked into the room, taking his gear off as he went. "Yes, I spoke with her. She didn't want to play," he said with a smile. "She has the sight"

"What? How do you know?" asked Loz.

"She picked up something I was thinking," he answered. He didn't bother to tell his brother that he had almost given himself away.

"That's very interesting. That's good," said Loz thoughtfully. He had hoped but not really expected that she would have developed some of her abilities naturally. That would make their job easier.

"It also means that I'll have to be careful around her, at least until her time comes," said Yazoo.

"Are you going back to the school?" asked Loz.

"Yes, tomorrow. I may register as a student. Who knows, I might be able to learn something," he chuckled. He expected Loz to share his little joke, but when his brother didn't return his smile he knew something was up.

"What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to where Loz sat in front of the computer.

"Look at this," he said in reply. He punched up a search page he had been reading and leaned back so that Yazoo could see what was displayed on the monitor. It was an article about ShinRa and showed photographs of the corporate officers. There was a section on the page devoted to the company's security forces; a group called Turk. This section also had photographs of past and present members. He scanned the pictures and recognized the photos of Reno and Rude. Yazoo hadn't seen either of the two Turks since his brother died in Mideel just before Kako was born.

"I don't get it," he said, looking at Loz.

"Look at this," said Loz, punching up another search page he had been reading. This one was an article from the local newspaper on Cloud's school. It too had photographs. "See anyone familiar?" he asked.

"Shit," Yazoo swore softly under his breath. He was looking at two photographs of Reeve side by side; one from the ShinRa company profile and the other from the article on Cloud's school.

"It could just be a coincidence. Cloud had friends in ShinRa, even among the Turks," he told Loz.

"There's no such thing as coincidence with Kako. Rufus is behind this. He's sent him to watch her, probably to train her," said Loz, remembering his brother, Kadj's fury at discovering that Rude and Reno where helping Cloud and Tifa all those years ago. "Remember what Kadj said. Rufus wants her too," he said.

Yazoo, silent in thought, paced through the small apartment. This changed everything; he couldn't risk being discovered before he was ready to reveal himself to her. It needed a delicate touch. He would have to approach her from a different angle. He needed to get her away from her father's influence and under his own. Time was running short. But how to do it? He smiled to himself. He thought he knew how.

He turned to face Loz, his mind made up.

"I think it's time to try a little romance," he said with a sly smile.

"What do you want me to do?" said Loz. Yazoo just rolled his eyes as his big brother.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Dreams**

Kako lay in bed that night, sleep eluding her. Her mind refused to let her relax. She kept seeing the stranger's face, his eyes, feeling the touch of his hand on her arm.

"_Want to play?"_ His voice reverberated around her brain. What was it about this guy? After all, he wasn't that unusual. She had seen many young bloods walk in off the street trying to prove their worth, and some of them even tried to flirt with her, but she had never given them a second thought before. And what was that comment about her mother all about? She was sure he had said . . . thought it.

She had always been able to hear her mother's thoughts from as far back as she could remember. She used to have whole conversations with Tifa in her mind when she was little, but Tifa had discouraged it when she got older because Cloud reacted so strongly against it. She remembered something her mother had told her a long time ago; a story about how Tifa had been given a drug before Kako was born that changed them both. It wasn't a subject Tifa liked to discuss and Kako grew up thinking that it was somehow shameful that she and her mother could converse without speaking.

"_But its not just Mom's thoughts I can hear now_," she thought. She debated with herself about telling Tifa what had happened at the school, but decided that she better not; she didn't want to upset her mother nor did she want another lecture about talking with strangers.

Honestly! She was almost seventeen now. You would think her parents would trust that she could take care of herself. "_I mean, I am about the best student at that school. I know how to defend myself_," she thought. Not a day went by that Cloud didn't warn her not to talk with strangers, especially with strange men. It made making friends hard and she was often lonely.

She finally drifted off to sleep, thinking of the stranger. She started to dream. She walked across an endless field of flowers beneath a white, featureless sky. Her bare feet stepped on velvet petals, crushing stamen andreleasing their scent to rise to her face. It smelled on innocence and sunshine. She could not see anyone else near her although she felt the presence of someone . . . familiar.

"Kako, you must make yourself ready," said a voice in her ear. It was a woman's voice and it sounded like the distant strains of music carried on a soft summer breeze. Kako turned around to see who the owner of the voice was but no one was there.

"Who are you?" she asked unafraid.

"I am Aeris, an old friend of your mother and father," whispered Aeris. "You must make yourself ready."

"Ready for what?" she asked.

"The change is coming. You will need all your strength and skills to face what's coming," replied Aeris.

"What change? What do you mean?" asked Kako, fear growing in her mind.

"Like your mother before you, you will need to fight her."

"Fight who? I don't understand," whispered Kako.

"Jenova!"

The sound of the word shattered her dream and sent her to a deep dark place. She found herself wandering a strange and frightening landscape; a blood red desert that smelled of sulfur carried to her on hot dry winds. All around were canyon walls and rock towers that rose into a dark red sky where she could see three suns; two large and yellow and one smaller but brilliant white. She stood on a promontory overlooking the canyon below. Her long white hair blew around her face and shoulders. She brushed it back out of her eyes and looked at the man standing by her side. She could see the side of his face as he gazed out over the canyon they stood before. He looked familiar . . . where had she seen him before? He turned to look at her and smiled. His long grey hair covered his face but she could see his pale eyes. His eyes . . .

She woke with a start and sat bolt upright in bed, sweat poring down her face and back. She put her hand to her heart and felt it thundering in her chest. She struggled to remember the details of her dream as it slipped away from her. All she was left with was the feeling of dread and terrible loneliness. She got up from the bed and walked into her bathroom to splash water on her face. Her hands trembled as she turned the cold water tap on. She soaked a face cloth and pressed it to her face. The cool damp cloth felt good against her hot skin. The cold of it shocked her back to the present and pushed the remaining fragments of her dream back into her subconscious. She walked back to the bed and stripped the sweat-soaked sheets off the mattress. She changed her nightshirt, wrapped herself back up in the blanket, and lay back down on the bed to try and get back to sleep. She tossed and turned for the rest of the night, never able to capture sleep again.

She rose with the sun and took a shower. She was exhausted, having had only a few hours untroubled sleep before her dream woke her. The experience had left her feeling under a dark cloud and she said little to her parents at the breakfast table.

"You look tired," said Tifa.

"I didn't get much sleep last night," Kako replied.

"Bad dreams?" asked Tifa. Kako didn't respond. She just kept her head down and finished her eggs. Tifa reached out to her daughter with her mind but ran up against a cold dark wall where she usually found a sunny, open mind. Kako cleared her dirty breakfast dishes and turned to walk out of the bar, saying nothing to her parents. Tifa watched her back as she disappeared out the door.

"Something's eating at her," she said to Cloud after she had left. He looked up from his paper and snorted.

"She's sixteen, something's always eating at her," he responded.

"No, I don't think that's it," murmured Tifa. She recognized the haunted look in her daughter's eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – The Rescue**

Kako walked slowly to the school, thinking about the night she had. Fragments of her dreams teased at her from the edges of her memory and she struggled to pull them back. There was something about a bright light and the smell of perfume. That was the strongest fragment she could retrieve. Along with it came the feeling of peace and wellbeing. But there was another fragment, much darker and malevolent. Pale grey eyes flashed before her and made her heart skip a beat. She came out of her reverie and looked around her.

"_Where am I?"_ she asked herself. She looked around her, trying to get her bearings, and realized that she had wandered into the slums of Section 8. All around she could see the children marked with Geostigma. They hid in dark alleys and darted across the open plaza, dodging the traffic. This was the shame of Midgar. The part of town that decent people didn't talk about and the newspapers never covered. Kako had grown up with many of the orphans from this part of town. They came and went, stopping long enough for a free meal or a couple of nights rest in a real bed with clean sheets. Tifa could never get any of them to stay much longer. Even Denzel, the boy who had lived with Tifa and Cloud for a while when she was very young, disappeared into the streets one day, never to return. Tifa searched for him for weeks, but no trace was ever found.

She turned down an alley that she knew took her back towards the school. As she walked towards the far end, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention. She slowed her step and reached for her gloves. She continued walking, every nerve at full attention, and pulled on her gloves. As she passed a dark doorway half way down the alley she felt rather than saw a dark figure dart out behind her. Before she could react she felt a strong leather-clad arm wrap around her throat from behind, lifting her off her feet. She felt a scratchy unshaven face on her cheek as the man whispered in her ear.

"Are you lost?" said the deep male voice.

"No," answered Kako. She kicked back with her heel and connected with the man's genitals. She heard a grunt and felt the arm around her neck loosen its grip. She grabbed the arm and spun away from him, turning him around to pin his arm behind his back. He chuckled and twisted his arm out of her hands and turned to face her. She couldn't see his face as they were in the darkest part of the alley, but she could see that he was tall, over 6', and muscle-bound. His white spiky hair was all she could see of his face.

Her training kicked in and she moved into a defensive stance. Her attacker watched and waited for her attack. She didn't disappoint him; she launched herself at him, throwing a flurry of punches at his chest. She was good, but she was no match for his greater strength and weight. He easily caught one of her fists and spun her around, pinning her against his chest, his arms wrapped around her.

"Let her go," said a voice from behind them. Kako heard the sound of metal against leather; it sounded like a sword being withdrawn from its scabbard. Kako's attacker spun her around to face the voice; it was Yazoo!

"Let her go," he repeated. He stood before them with his sword in his hand. His face registered anger and fear; fear for her. The man behind her chuckled.

"You want her? You want her for yourself?" he asked with a sneer. He smashed his fist into the back of her head, knocking her out cold and shoved her to the ground.

Kako came too in Yazoo's arms. Her head felt like it was split in two. A trickle of blood ran down the back of her neck. She groaned and ran her fingers over the back of her head feeling for the hole she felt sure was there.

"Lay still," Yazoo said quietly as he held her gently in his arms. She looked up and as her eyes cleared, she saw his concerned face looking down at her.

"What happened?" she whispered.

"He's gone. He won't be back," said Yazoo. He supported her back as she struggled to sit upright. "How's you head?"

"It hurts," said Kako. The blood drained from her face as she sat and she groaned in pain. Yazoo placed his hand behind her head and slowly lowered her back down on the ground.

"Stay still. You've probably got a concussion." He gently stroked her cheek and brushed her hair away from her forehead.

"Thank you," Kako whispered. Her head was killing her. She was having trouble focusing. She could feel herself slipping away . . .

"Goddamit, Loz, you hit her too hard," snapped Yazoo. Loz stepped out of the shadows in the doorway he had hidden in when she walked down the alley. He looked down at the young girl laying on the group and shrugged.

Yazoo carefully picked her up and carried her through the alley to his apartment.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: Its been a few days since my last update. I apologize for the delay and hope you like the next couple of chapters. The story is starting to take shape now, with Kako and Yazoo being the main actors in this tale. Future chapters will bring back the Others and I hope to provide a more definitive explanation of who they are and what they want. We will also see what Yazoo plans for Kako and how he reconciles his own desires with his dead brother's grand plan. Stay tuned and send reviews. _

**Chapter 8 – Gathering Storm**

Tifa spent the rest of the morning doing her usual chores around the bar, but her mind was elsewhere. There was something about the look in Kako's face when Tifa asked about bad dreams that told her Kako was hiding something. Her suspicions only grew when she couldn't read her. She had always been able to reach Kako; it was something they had always shared, even though she had tried to discourage her from using her abilities too much when she was little. Tifa knew that Kako possessed very special abilities, more so than she. Kako seemed to be able to _read_ other people much easier than she could; she seemed very sensitive to those around her, and especially her mother.

Cloud watched her move around the bar. She was obviously preoccupied and he guessed it was with Kako. While he didn't possess the same sensitivities as Tifa and Kako, he knew something was up with his daughter. He too had seen her reaction to Tifa's question about her dreams and he was immediately brought back to the time almost seventeen years ago when Tifa herself had struggled so violently with Jenova in her own dreams. He knew, although he had suppressed the thought, that Jenova may not have been defeated and that the two brothers still were still alive, somewhere.

Cloud and Vincent searched for Yazoo and Loz after they had taken Tifa and Kako back to Midgar and safety. He had left them with Barret and Cid and had returned to the mountains where they had found Tifa after she had been abducted by Kadj. They found the mansion but not Yazoo or Loz. Cloud had stood in the room in which Tifa had been held captive and saw the splintered doors she had punched her way through. He ran his fingers over the broken padlock and felt the dried blood Tifa's fists had left on it when she punched her way through the bulkhead door. His anger boiled inside him as he imagined what Tifa had endured at the hands of the three brothers. He wanted to strike out at them, at the house which represented everything they stood for but there was no one there to punish. So, Cloud torched the building and watched as it burned to the ground.

Cloud returned to Midgar and Tifa. Vincent disappeared that night and he had not been seen since. Every once in a while Cloud caught a rumor of a tall dark man wearing a red cape traveling through a distant town, but he could never confirm the rumors. For the first few years Cloud kept a watchful eye on Tifa and Kako, always vigilant for any sign of the two remaining brothers. But as the years passed his vigilance faded as he settled into family life. He was content now with the school and Tifa and so at first he didn't give much importance to his daughter's strange mood that morning; he put it down to normal teenage hormones and dismissed it from his mind. That changed however when he saw Kako react to Tifa's question.

"She's been dreaming . . ." Tifa said softly to Cloud. "I found her sheets. She stripped them off her bed last night. They were soaked in sweat."

"One bad dream doesn't mean anything," said Cloud. Even as he said the words, he knew he was wrong. He could see it in Tifa's face. His shoulders slumped and he put his head in his hands.

Tifa walked over to him and slipped her arm around his neck. She leaned down and kissed his neck. She knew what he was thinking. "It's not your fault, my love. Hiro did this to you, to all of us. Whatever she's going through, she will not have to do it alone."

Cloud looked up at Tifa and saw the pain in her eyes. He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. He laid his head on her chest, listening to her heart beat.

"Why do all the women in my life have to suffer from knowing me, from being with me?" he asked softly.

Tifa's heart broke to hear the anguish in Cloud's voice. She gently kissed him on the forehead and held him close.

"Something is about to start," she whispered.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – The Lie**

Kako woke with a splitting headache. She found herself in a dark room lying on a strange and unfamiliar bed. Someone had removed her shoes; they lay on a chair next to the bed. She tried to sit but the effort was too much for her and she slumped back to the mattress with a soft groan. Her head . . . it felt as though her brain had been knocked loose.

She struggled to remember why she was here in this strange place and why her head hurt so much. She ran her fingers over the back of her head and felt the bloody mass of hair where Loz's fist had connected with her skull. Slowly her memory returned. She remembered the alley and the feeling of a strong arm around her neck. She remembered the scratchy unshaven face on her cheek as her attacker taunted her. And she remembered that voice; her rescuer's voice. She didn't even know his name, but his face slowly resolved in front of her.

She didn't hear him enter the room or cross the floor to stand at the foot of the bed.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

Kako started at the sound of his voice and sat up too quickly. Blood drained from her face as the room swirled around her, and she fell sideways off the bed. Yazoo moved quickly around the bed and caught her before she hit the floor.

"Lay still," he said as he carefully maneuvered her back on to the bed. He sat down next to her and watched her face as she struggled to deal with the pain in her head and neck. "You really do have a big knot in the back of your head," he said.

"Who was that guy?" Kako asked.

"Who knows. Just some thug. They're all over this area," he answered. "What were you doing in this part of town anyway?"

Kako thought for a moment. What was she doing when she was attacked? "I was going to the school, but I think I took a wrong turn somewhere. I wasn't paying attention," she said quietly. The memory of the dream was returning now.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"I brought you to my place. It was close by and I didn't feel like carrying you all the way to the school," Yazoo said. The lie came easily to his lips.

"Well . . . thanks. What's your name anyway?" she asked.

Yazoo thought for a second. He hadn't thought far enough ahead to figure out if he wanted her to know his real name. He decided to play it safe. "Taka, my name is Taka. What's yours?" he asked with a smile. Kako chuckled and held out her hand. "Kako, its nice to meet you."

Yazoo stood up and looked down at Kako. The color was returning to her face and she looked stronger. "How are you feeling?" he asked again.

"Better, thanks," she said as she carefully swung her legs over the bed and tried to stand. He held out his arms to steady her as she stood.

"I better get going. My Dad will wonder where I am if I don't get to the school soon," she said. She turned to face him. "Why not come with me. We could use a good student like you. I need a decent sparring partner," she said with a smile.

"Well, I don't think the school's the place for me, but any time you need a sparring partner, just let me know," he smiled back at her.

Kako winced as she extended her arm to pick up her shoes. It felt like a pin had pricked her in the crook of her arm. She frowned and rubbed it, put on her shoes and walked to the door. She turned once more and said goodbye to Yazoo.

He watched as she walked away down the street. He pulled a small glass vial from his pocket and rolled it between his fingers. "_Soon . . . soon you will be mine_," he thought.


End file.
